Transit bus attacked with '5-foot-long metal fence post' in Vancouver, police say

A Metro Vancouver Transit Police officer is seen in this undated image. (Metro Vancouver Transit Police/Facebook)

Metro Vancouver Transit Police are investigating after a "five-foot-long metal fence post" was thrown at the windshield of a bus in Vancouver Friday night.

The incident occurred just after 7 p.m., as the bus was travelling east on King Edward Avenue at Laurel Street, MVTP spokesperson Const. Amanda Steed said in an email to CTV News.

A brief video of the aftermath of the attack posted on Reddit shows a large smashed area on the windshield of a number 25 bus, which has been pulled over to the side of the road and stopped.

"The impact of the fence post shattered the glass near the driver's side of the bus," Steed said. "Thankfully, none of the 25-30 passengers on board the bus or the bus operator were injured during the incident."

A witness told CTV News someone deliberately threw the post at the bus, after first using it to attack a van that was attempting to turn at a nearby intersection.

Steed couldn't confirm that detail, but said the Vancouver Police Department had also "attended a call in the area with similar circumstances," that involved a passenger vehicle.

"The investigation is still in the early stages and it is yet to be determined if the two incidents are connected," Steed said. "At this time, a suspect has not been identified."

CTV News has reached out to the VPD for more information. This story will be updated if a response is received.

Earlier this month, Vancouver police arrested a man for allegedly firing a pellet gun at officers and paramedics from the window of an SRO hotel in the Downtown Eastside.

When announcing that arrest, the VPD said it was one of several serious incidents that had transpired in the neigbourhood over the weekend of Jan. 7 and 8. In one of those incidents, the window of a bus was broken after being hit with a "projectile."

Steed said MVTP hasn't noticed an increase in attacks on transit buses, but finds Friday's incident concerning.

 "We commend the bus operator for his quick thinking and ability to safely pull the bus over which prevented passengers from being injured," she said.

MVTP responded to "about a dozen" incidents involving bus windows hit by projectiles in 2022, Steed said.